Dragontamers: Between Yu and Me
by Felicia Angel
Summary: Third in the series: Jounouchi, Yugi and others deal with the Big Five, Dungeon Dice, and putting the others in dangerous situations. Rating raised due to mature content. Finished.
1. Virtual Insanity

Disclaimer: I still don't own them, only Julia and Layla, but they're just mentioned. Also _Indiana Jones _is mentioned, and I don't own him either (multi-crossovers with no real hint at it is fun). I've decided here to cover the point between Duelist Kingdom (beginning of summer) and Battle City (around fall or so). I'm taking the Virtual Realm from the anime, but using the Dungeon Dice Monsters from the manga for the whole thing.

Warnings: hentai (maybe), foul language, violence, implied pairings (puppy, puzzle, slight yujou, moderate jeer)

Dragon Tamers: Between Yu and Me

Part 1: Virtual Insanity

--_Future's made of virtual insanity--_

The dream was a rather odd one. He was alone in the helicopter and Jounouchi was sitting next to him. For some reason he didn't need to hold onto the controls, but who was driving it he couldn't see, it was probably no one, but when did that happen? He just knew that Jounouchi was shirtless and wearing only a bra, the one he had caught a brief glimpse of after Duelist Kingdom, and was lying back, smiling at him with one leg down and her levis partly undone at the top.

He had started to move towards her when he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck, one which brought him violently into reality.

Or at least the reality he was currently in. He was tied on a cross-like item and in front of him was what appeared to be molten lava. He could feel the heat from it and as he felt like…well, like shit. His thoughts slowly collected and he remembered that he had gone in to test out a new virtual reality game he had begun shortly before he started Death-T, and that the Big Five, as a way to show that they were really loyal to him. He had ensured Mokuba was okay before going in, suspecting a trap but unsure completely. At first it had been great, the system working just as he had planned, and then he had been attacked, sent out as a sacrifice for one of the kingdoms.

He had pulled out his Blue Eyes only to have one of Pegasus' new cards, the Dragon Clan Sealing Jar, pulled on him and just as suddenly one of the Armed Ninjas had covered him in a net and given him little way to escape. He had dropped his cards, which just ensured his hopeless state, and before he could reach for them something had shocked him and there had been that dream.

He began considering all the ways he could ruin the Big Five when he got out of this mess when he heard a voice saying, "My, awake now, 'Master' Kaiba?" The Witty Phantom appeared and he smirked at Kaiba. "You know who I am and my purpose, I take it?"

"I made it so you could make prisoner's stay here less…pleasant…" Kaiba said, glaring at the monster.

"I'm glad there were no ill effects. My new masters were quite clear that there shouldn't be, despite the shock."

Kaiba tried one of the safety locks he had put in, but the Witty Phantom tsked him and waved a finger. "Sorry, all of those protocols have been rewritten. You're going to have to try harder, Kaiba."

He walked up and smirked at Kaiba. "Now, how to make your stay here not as pleasant as it was before. Hmmm…."

Kaiba was silent, not about to give him any ideas as the Phantom smirked. "Ah, I know." He pointed to Kaiba's right arm. The band holding his wrist slowly seemed to grow, spreading down that arm before a few thorns grew, digging into Kaiba's skin. He grimaced but didn't say anything. The Phantom pointed at the other arm and the same thing happened, causing Kaiba to flinch even more in pain. The Phantom now smirked even more and said, "Ah, much better. What else should I do? Hmmm, questions, ques--" he paused, turning as if he heard something before snorting. "Well, is that so?" he turned back and said, "I must go, and sadly cut the un-pleasantries short. For now, though…" he now walked up and all Kaiba saw was a small line of electricity before darkness took him again.

* * *

Truthfully, Jounouchi had not wanted to be in the pig outfit, but hell, whatever to win that Niwatori card to they could rescue Kaiba. Some insane part of her felt like roles were reversed from normal fairy tales, thus the prince had to be rescued by a princess.

Or at least someone kinda akin to it.

Well, either way they were going to help him.

The lady she was facing had on a butterfly mask and because of the way that Jounouchi had dressed herself for the event, she looked a whole lot like a guy.

"Huh," the woman said in a familiar voice, "I knew guys could act like pigs but I didn't know they could dress like them too. I hope you duel better then you smell, you swine."

Jounouchi said what was on her mind, dropping her voice to keep up the 'yeah, I'm a guy' act. "You know what I like about butterflies? THEY DON'T TALK!"

Glares exchanged, the two began to duel, Jounouchi going first and pulling out her favorite (next to her Red Eyes), the Flame Swordsman.

The Butterfly pulled out Harpie Lady, and that caused Jounouchi some pause. The one person she knew to use Harpie Lady was Kujaku Mai, and she hadn't seen her since they dropped her off in Japan, which was about as long as she hadn't seen Kaiba. The two female Duelists had hit it off and Mai seemed to take to her like an older sister, which truthfully was what Jounouchi saw the older lady as. She was sassy and strong, a woman who looked like one and who flaunted it along with her cards. Jounouchi, the tomboy, never thought of herself as pretty until Mai pointed it out, and had never completely thought she'd find a person like her until she had met her.

But maybe this was just a coincidence and she could easily take out Harpie Lady anyway, so…

Her Swordsman attacked and the Butterfly smirked. "I knew it. Pigs don't know about Trap Cards. Mirror Wall!"

This was turning less and less into a coincidence and more into what had to be a fact.

"My Harpie Lady really knows how to bring home the bacon."

_Only one girl can pull off those lame jokes, other then me!_

As her Harpie started to attack, Jounouchi removed the mask and just as quickly the attack was stopped.

"Jounouchi? Is that you?"

"What are you doing here, Mai?" Yugi said, jumping down with Mokuba as the two came up.

"I'm testing this game out for some suits in KaibaCorp."

"You could be in danger," Jounouchi told her.

"Yeah, those suits kidnapped Nii-sama," Mokuba told her while Yugi told her as well that Kaiba might be trapped in a temple across the desert.

Mai was kinda surprised but decided to help out as the crowd got a little rowdy. With her Harpie Lady taking the Niwatori card and a well-placed aim from Jounouchi with her pig mask at the head honcho, the group headed out, Jounouchi turning to do 'crowd control' with her Trap Hole card.

The group got to the desert and with Mai's use of the Niwatori card, they headed out, Mai in the lead.

Jounouchi considered what they knew. The Big Five wanted to trap Kaiba, but they needed to ensure it was a good set up, and since they were paying Mai to be there, obviously had thought through a few things, just not a lot.

They were stopped by a Sandstorm Monster, but with a low attack power, Jounouchi quickly squashed it with her Red Eyes.

At least the sandstorm cleared and they saw the temple, and with that the group headed over towards it.

* * *

The one worry of Mokuba was the fact that their life points weren't returning, though his main concern was also about his brother. Nii-sama could take care of himself, but often he rushed into things.

They had worked to the middle of the labyrinth and now were following a small fairy like the one they had encountered earlier, when attacked in the graveyard and where they had unluckily lost most of their life points. They followed the fairy right up until they heard someone say, "Eru, you're back!"

The group stopped and Jounouchi said, "Hey, Mokuba, I didn't know you had a twin sister."

"Very funny," he muttered and blinked. Before him was one who looked exactly like himself, only wearing a dress and a crown and with purple eyes instead of his own blue ones.

"We heard someone scream, are you alright?" he asked the girl.

"I lost Eru, my guide."

Jounouchi walked up and asked, "So, do you know how to get us out of this rat-trap?"

A shake of the head. "I'm lost too."

Everyone sighed, disappointed.

"But Eru can find a way out for us!"

Everyone perked up and with that followed the fairy until they saw the exit. Unluckily, a large monster was before them and Mokuba heard Jounouchi say, "Well, aside from the Mokuba-girl we ran into, this is almost like the duel we had against the Meikyu brothers…even the huge ass monster is here too!"

"Then we should do what we did last time," Yugi said, and at Jounouchi's nod, the two combined monsters to form Black Skull Dragon.

Which didn't have enough power until Jounouchi equipped Dragon Nails to it and with that the monster was gone.

"It's amazing! You're all so brave, so much like the heroes of legend."

"Heroes of legend?" Yugi started to ask but they stopped when they heard voices from the end of the tunnel and saw a group of people who were calling for someone named 'Adina'.

Probably the girl.

With that, they were invited to her home and they all agreed it would be best.

On the coach ride back, Yugi and Kujaku-san were both pointing out how cool Adina was and how Mokuba probably should be flattered that his Nii-sama would base such a nice person off of him.

Mokuba wasn't too sure about that, and even less sure after Jounouchi said, "Yep, on you, _My Lady…_"

"Jounouchi!"

Jounouchi grinned at him as he glared at her. "Not funny."

"Perfectly. I think I still have some outfits from before…"

"Don't even start with me!"

"Why not? You're so easy!"

"I'll tell Nii-sama on you!"

"Now tell me something that'll make me worry."  
Yugi had looked out the window and luckily spotted the castle and, noticing the now-upcoming argument, stopped it by pointing it out. They got out at the castle and it turned out Adina was really the ruler of one of the kingdoms in the virtual realm.

_Okay, I take it back, I like this, I'll only give Nii-sama some grief about this…later…_

* * *

Mokuba had not talked to anyone about it, but had simply switched clothing with Adina, hoping no one would notice. What had gotten him wondering, though, was when Jounouchi had come out with a cape that obviously belonged to Kujaku-san (and which was pointed out by Kujaku-san multiple times over the course of the attack by the floating castle's monsters), but what happened after that he didn't know, as he was taken away by the monsters to the castle to be offered up as a sacrifice along with his brother.

He was unconscious until he heard someone say something and also say his brother's name.

Mokuba woke up and blinked before saying, "Nii-sama, you're okay!"

Well, he seemed to be. The ropes holding him in had cut in small holes and what appeared to have been thorns were near there. Then Mokuba heard a voice and, angry that anyone would hurt his brother, pulled out Sword Stalker to free his brother before giving him back his deck.

With that, Nii-sama pulled out the Blue Eyes White Dragon and they began their escape right up until he paused, got back his second Blue Eyes, then asked Mokuba how he had gotten that far.

"Please don't be angry, but I asked for Yugi's help. He, Jounouchi and Kujaku-san came here."

"Yugi _and _Jounouchi?"

"Uh huh…I'm sorry, I had no one else to go to."

Kaiba paused, then shrugged. "Come on. We can get out of here on our own."

Mokuba followed after him and after a few more turns they reached the bottom, where Yugi, Kujaku-san and Jounouchi, still in the cape and covered.

"What's wrong, mutt? Afraid of what you have to wear?" Nii-sama said with a smirk. Jounouchi's glare turned angry and while Mokuba knew this meant she was going to do something without thinking straight, he wasn't exactly prepared for it.

The cape came off and Mokuba suddenly hit puberty as it was revealed that Jounouchi's outfit was mainly a fur band covering her…well, her upper regions, and then another skirt that was barely covering her…lower regions. Yugi, who had turned into the other Yugi, blinked and blushed. Kujaku-san blinked as well and looked at the cape then at Nii-sama.

Nii-sama's face was completely unreadable and Mokuba wasn't sure what that meant.

"Yes, I am! You're the one who designed only one good female costume, you idiot!"

There was a long pause before Jounouchi seemed to understand what she had done and Kujaku-san, a hand over her mouth and obviously trying to hide her giggles, said, "Never mind, Jounouchi. Keep the cape."

"…."

Jounouchi's face turned red as she put the cape back on and then looked up before sending another glare at Nii-sama. "you could look somewhere else, you hentai bastard."

"you're the one who took off the cloak," Nii-sama retorted, though he did look off to the side at least. Mokuba blinked at this and was wondering at Kujaku-san's thoughtful look when they heard a laugh and everyone turned.

* * *

His time around Jounouchi had taught him that she was impulsive and quick to react to certain things, though often if it was in either a good or bad way. Impulse had driven her earlier life, and after a small talk with Yugi, who had spoken to Jounouchi only after they had arrived in Tokyo from Duelist Kingdom, knew that this had behavior had been almost inborn, or at least since she had been very young. She had confessed once, after dueling, that she had run away from home but only across the hall and had nearly stayed there until her friend Layla had all but forced her back into her father's home.

So perhaps the other Yugi shouldn't have been surprised when, as the Mythic Dragon which the Big Five had put themselves into attacked Mokuba, Jounouchi had been the one to send her Red Eyes Black Dragon to protect him.

However she had lost life points, like the rest of them, while in the Graveyard attacking the zombies and with the Mythic Dragon having 5000 attack points, one attack was enough to destroy them, including Kaiba.

As they watched, Jounouchi fell to her knees after her Red Eyes disappeared, Mai catching her slightly as she began to shake and Yugi noticed she was disappearing, slowly becoming digitized like Eru had been.

"It's okay…" she muttered, looking up as she saw Mai starting to cry and the other Yugi shaking in a combination of rage and sadness. It wasn't okay. Somewhere inside of him, aibou had been screaming, trying to get out so he could find a way to help her, to do something…but there was nothing.

"Just…"she looked up at them and smiled, "kick their asses for me, okay?" With the last of her disappearing, she held up a thumbs up and then left from view.

"you…" Mai was shaking and now jumped up, tears in her eyes, "You sons of bitches! You'll pay for this!" Her own Pet Dragon went for the attack but didn't do much. Instead, as the other Yugi watched, Mai also disappeared.

Okay, that's it.

As Kaiba pulled out his second Blue Eyes and the Big Five began to attack again, Mokuba was the one who noticed it while Yugi began to call forth his Black Luster Soldier (which wasn't working completely because of the Mark of Dragon that the Big Five had put there to challenge Kaiba and his friends to a 'duel of dragons'), that the attack wasn't aimed at either of the Blue Eyes, but at Kaiba himself.

"Nii-sama! Look out!"

The attack hit Mokuba, who staggered towards the now scared and disbelieving Kaiba before falling. When Kaiba reached out to catch him, it didn't work.

Mokuba, Mai and Jounouchi were gone.

It was only those two.

Kaiba had fallen to his knees and the other Yugi, now angry and saddened, looked to him. "Kaiba, we have to work together. If we are to defeat them, we need another Blue Eyes. I have an idea."

He glared at him sharply and finally Yugi said, "Is that any way for a Champion Duelist to be before an enemy? Stand up and pay them back for what they did to Mokuba."

Kaiba was on his feet quickly and summoned the last of his Blue Eyes before they used Polymerization.

The Big Five would pay dearly.

With their new dragon absorbing the power of the now-gone Red Eyes and the Pet Dragon, as well as the power from the Mythic Dragon before with one swipe the monster was destroyed, as was the Big Five.

The whole of the place went black, their monster disappeared, and there was a pause before suddenly something opened up beneath their feet and both fell down, darkness seeming to absorb them…

…then there was cheering as the other Yugi opened his eyes. Somewhere within his Soul Room, aibou was sitting, saddened, and the other Yugi had no way of comforting him truthfully. They were gone.

"Fear not," Adina told them after Kaiba had voiced his own displeasure at the cheering when Mokuba had been killed, "for in death there is always the hope of rebirth."

The two looked over at her in surprise before she rose into the air and transformed into the Mystical Elf. As she glowed, the other Yugi realized she was saying a spell of some sort, and as he and Kaiba watched, the bodies of Jounouchi, Mai, Mokuba and even Eru came back. All of them slowly got up, Jounouchi rubbing her head and blinking before realizing something slightly important.

The cape wasn't on right now.

She stood and took it from Mai, wrapping it around herself and glaring at Kaiba as another portal appeared on the side and Adina said simply that everyone was happy that they had saved them and they were welcome back anytime.

Kaiba cast one more look over at Yugi before he said, "For being rivals…we make a good team." He started in with Mokuba then stopped and said, not turning around, "Don't think this makes us friends."

"I didn't. But I'm glad you're alright Kaiba." At that Kaiba turned and Yugi smirked. "I wouldn't have as much fun if you were gone. It'd take too long to find another rival."

Kaiba returned the smirk and both he and his brother left. At this, Jounouchi walked up and shook her head. "I can't believe you two. I really can't."

The three disappeared into reality.


	2. Ordinary

Part 2: Ordinary

_--I'm anything but ordinary--_

"Yugi, Jounouchi's here to pick you up!"

"I'll be down in a moment!"

It had been a few months, which had taken away the summer and now left them with school. Bakura and Anzu had been going steady for all that time, and while Jounouchi and Yugi both were only friends, half of the school thought they were going steady, leaving Honda to feel like he had no one.

Like she normally did, mostly to check and see if new Duel Monster cards had come in, Jounouchi had stopped by the Game Shop and spoken briefly to Yugi's grandfather. Mutou-san seemed to have recovered from having his soul in a video, and even though the news of Pegasus' death after their leaving of Duelist Kingdom had rattled most of them, all knew it wasn't the other Yugi's fault. He hadn't done a Penalty Game on the bastard, despite Jounouchi's want to see blood after the bastard had hurt Yugi's soul so much, and it had been ruled as a suicide of some sort. What had made her worry was the fact that his eye, where the Millennium Eye had been, was the place where he was 'shot', and no sign of it was ever mentioned. Those things were dangerous, damn it. The Ring had taught them that, and then the Eye only cemented it.

Jounouchi looked up and yelled, "Yugi, come on! You don't want to be late on the first day of school, do you?"

"I said I'm coming!"

* * *

"_It looks good on you, aibou._"

"I still think it's a little too flashy…"

"_If you ask me, it's too subtle. You should add some silver chains to your arms as well._"

"You know that's not my style!"

Ever since Duelist Kingdom, the two had been able to talk to one another and even see the other should one be in 'control'. Shortly before the start of school, the spirit had decided to see if he could convince aibou to buy something to add to the puzzle, and aibou had complied by getting a nice chain to put around it. This had, unluckily, put various scenarios involving chains and aibou into the spirit's fantasies that he never told aibou about, mainly because they dealt with aibou and he didn't want his aibou to know about these perverted 'dreams'.

He didn't deny his feelings for his aibou, except when said aibou was around, then he just didn't bring it up. The boy was too innocent, too much of a pure heart, to ever completely feel anything like this for him. Despite Jounouchi's constant urging for him to just come out and do something, the spirit instead wished only for aibou to be happy and oblivious to the lustful feelings of his other self.

On top of that there were other things as well. The spirit had traveled the maze within the puzzle and come no close to any clue as to what Pegasus had spoken of, or to what Shadii had said when they first met him. Something was going to force him to face that, and he didn't want to. If he did, he might lose aibou, and in losing him…he didn't know what he would do. The brief moments during the duel against Pegasus when he thought aibou's soul might truly be dead had very nearly shattered him, and only Jounouchi's presence as well as the need to win quickly so he could ensure his aibou's safety had forced him to face Pegasus. When the others had appeared and assured him aibou was recovering, he had faced Pegasus with more confidence then he faced anyone, even Kaiba, with.

As aibou raced past his mother, ignoring the question about breakfast, the spirit still teased him, saying that he should show Jounouchi how cool he was now.

"S-stop teasing me!"

Aibou got to the bottom of the stairs and the spirit was quiet as aibou apologized for taking so long.

"No problem," Jounouchi said, smirking and then looking over at the chain before adding in, "So, when did bondage become an 'in' thing, or am I behind in the times?"

That was the other thing which the spirit was worried about. Jounouchi was extremely intuitive about certain things, though one wasn't always Duel Monsters. She had figured out that the spirit liked aibou, and while she had kept his secret, she often bugged him when aibou wasn't listening about telling the young boy his feelings. That was something the spirit wouldn't do. He didn't want to betray aibou's trust by telling him such a thing, and as well, aibou and the spirit were close to one soul, or at least shared a body. He wanted aibou to have someone he could actually hold…

Aibou blushed at Jounouchi's comment and said, "no…it's to show how strong the bond is between myself and the other me."

"Uh huh. Well, you should've added in something on your arms or something like that."

"It's not my style."

Jounouchi shrugged, "Well, chains aren't mine so I really shouldn't say anything. C'mon, let's get to school."

As they left, Jounouchi said, "I'm glad to see your grandpa is doing better."

"I heard he ran into my dead grandma on the way back from Duelist Kingdom…"

Jounouchi raised an eyebrow and then asked, "So, why has he been down recently?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" The two, and even the spirit, jumped. How good was that old man's hearing anyway?

"I, Mutou Sugoroku, at 72 years of age, am about to face my biggest crisis ever!"

"No one remembered you're really 71?" Jounouchi asked

"…NO! My shop is on the verge of going out of business! SEE!"

The two looked, and it seemed that an old building had been bought and was now housing a rival game store called the Black Crown.

"I heard that store sells games you can't get anywhere else. They have some exclusive contract with a genius game designer."

Jounouchi shrugged. "So what? Maybe those games aren't that good, since no one else will buy them or sell them. And either way, it's probably just a rumor. And even if it isn't, I'm still coming here for my Duel Monster cards. Your store's the best for those."

Grandfather beamed and Jounouchi waited until they were across the street before adding, "unless this place has them cheaper…"

"Jounouchi…"

"Well," she started, stopping when the clown who was handing out balloons outside of the Black Crown came up and she waved him off, "we're going to be late, and you have that look in your eyes. Mutou-san will kill you if he sees you anywhere _near _this place, you realize this, right?"

"He wouldn't do that."

"Right, and Kaiba's not a prick."

As they went to school, the spirit began to think of how things were. Anzu and Bakura had been going steady since a little before Duelist Kingdom, and while he knew to some extent that Jounouchi liked Kaiba, he also wasn't sure about Jounouchi's felt towards aibou or vice versa. The two were best friends and he was quite sure there was at least one rumor going around about them being lovers, which made things even worse. While Jounouchi's accepted that he had feelings for aibou, maybe she wasn't telling him because she felt she had a better chance with aibou?

The spirit didn't know, and thus was silent as the two walked to school.

* * *

Otogi Ryuji was normally one whom all the girls crowded around. It had become a common occurrence in all of his schools, and thus he was used to it. Due to his father searching for Sugoroku, the man he had lost a game called the 'Devil's Board Game' to and thus aging him 50 years in one night, Ryuji was forced to move shortly after the death of his mother and his father's claiming him when he was five. He had heard that Yugi was a genius gamer, and seemed to possess another side, one which was darker and much more confident, almost to be arrogant. It was that side which had beaten not only Kaiba but also Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters.

What Ryuji was actually thinking of, his father's teaching and the desire to play Yugi aside, was a dark-haired boy who came in and looked around. His hair was done up so that the front part stuck out in a point and who seemed to have a common but cute look to him.

Then the one who was with Yugi, a blond-haired girl dressed as a boy who he had already heard was a former gang member that seemed to have joined up with Yugi for one reason or another, no one knew completely the reason, but all they knew was that she had won second place in Duelist Kingdom.

"Hey, Honda! Glad to see you've decided to join us."

Nearby, Ryuji noticed that Kaiba Seto had been reading a book and only looked up briefly before going back to reading.

Honda, obviously the boy's name, walked over and said, "Glad to see you too, Jounouchi. Seen Anzu or Bakura yet?"

"Nope," she said, their voices going beyond his hearing as the trio talked before being joined by a brown-haired girl and a cute boy with white hair. They were talking normally, meaning he couldn't hear them, mainly over the din the girls who were around him and trying to get his name and such from him. He decided he'd do a trick with his dice and then heard Jounouchi tell them, "They say her vision's completely restored."

"That's awesome!" the boy, Honda, exclaimed, "So…" his voice lowered and Jounouchi seemed to not like the words exchanged, as she responded by hitting him upside the head and giving him a slight glare. Ryuji, had he looked over, would've seen Kaiba's hidden smirk.

Still, the exclamations of the girls served for something, as it drew the attention of Yugi and, a little more importantly, the attention of Honda, towards Ryuji.

* * *

Jounouchi tilted her head and looked at the boy with black hair and green eyes. "Who the hell is that?"

"I think his name's Otogi Ryugi," Yugi told her, and Honda had to admit that despite there being new faces now that they moved up, at least they were all still together.

"Why are you so interested, anyway?" he asked, "Think he's cute?"

"He has cheap tricks and is getting girls that way. I don't like guys like that."

"Right…"

"I don't."

"Varon."

She shot him a glare, "I thought we weren't going to bring that up or I was going to bring up Hotaru Takako."

He cast her a glare and said, "Yeah, so?"

"You started it."

What Honda was a little mad about was the fact that Jounouchi seemed to turn men down left and right. Honda's own heart was slightly fickle when it came to both sexes, and currently it was turning quite fickle for Ryuji. Hell, the boy was cute, perhaps a little beyond that, and while he had thought that Bakura had his charm, the white-haired boy wasn't one that Honda normally fell for. Ryuji was…at least guy wise. People like Anzu and Miho were the ones that Honda fell for girl-wise, but the last one he had fallen for was Miho. After that and some considerations, he realized he liked boys a lot more.

He batted for both teams, just he wanted to try his luck with boys instead.

And the only boy that Jounouchi seemed interested even vaguely in was either Yugi or--

"Isn't it a little early for you to be so loud, inu?"

"Oh, look who decided to join us common folk. What happened, your book not digital enough for you, your Royal Pain-in-the-Ass?"

--well, maybe not Kaiba, but if they did become a couple, life might become interesting.

"So," Bakura asked, "who was this Varon guy?"

Jounouchi was quick to say, "no one important," but Honda wasn't going to let that one slide. "A guy a few years back. He came through and Jounouchi fell for him pretty hard…or the other way around, not sure. There wasn't much after that; he left and she got over him quickly, but he did kinda act like Ryuji with respect to the girls."

"He had talents he thought he had to expose to the whole world, and if nudity was legalized I'm sure he'd streak at every possible chance," Jounouchi said with some venom, though he knew that those two had parted as friends at least, but it was obvious she didn't like the fact that he was brought up as an example of people who had conned their way into her heart.

Honda snorted. "Like you have talents."

"One of them includes kicking your ass if you keep up with this teasing. The other is just starting to work out."

"You mean Duel Monsters," Bakura clarified.

"Yeah. I'm not as good as Yugi, but I'm good, I guess. I have a long way to go, though, have to point that out."

"So you have a talent for cards," Honda tried, hoping to get in a good jib.

"Compared to you."

"I have…I mean…"

"Honda, 'Go Fish' doesn't count."

"Hey!"

"You can't even bridge the cards when you shuffle them."

"Okay, I got the point…" White flag is raised. Score--Honda: 0, Jounouchi: 1

Anzu smiled as she said, "So, compared to you, Jounouchi's as good as Kaiba."

"Okay, that was insulting to me."

"No one asked, nor were you part of this conversation. Butt out, baka."

"Did it hurt your head to put that sentence together?"

"No, but I'll hurt your head if you keep trying to get into this conversation."

"You can't reach that high."

"I wasn't talking about that head, I meant the one you soon _won't _be able to think with if you keep bothering me."

"You're all bark and no bite."

"Come over here and say that, I'll show you my bite."

Yeah, a relationship between those two would be really interesting. Really fucking loud too.

Ryuji had walked over and asked Jounouchi about her 'talent' with cards. With a small glare, she shrugged and said, "I beat a guy named Bandit Keith at that Duelist Kingdom thing."

"Ah, I heard about that, and I've heard about Bandit Keith. You must be pretty good."

"Only with those. My family is notorious for being bad with anything that involves money and luck."

"I see…so you wouldn't want to play a little game with a bet on it?"

"No."

Ryuji shrugged then looked at Honda. "What about you? Would _you _like to play?"

Honda's luck wasn't as rotten as Jounouchi's, so he agreed and Jounouchi, looking like she was ready to pound some sense into him, went over to watch with Yugi and the others.


	3. Otogi Ryuji

Part 3: Otogi Ryuji

The game was a rigged one if Jounouchi had ever seen it, but rules were rules, even with the ability to have such a wide loophole. Still, she was sure it had been the prospect of ordering Ryuji around that had caught Honda's attention, as well as the fact that he was the one who had been challenged, not just Jounouchi.

Since they had become friends, Jounouchi and Honda were unstoppable when it came down to certain things, but often it was Jounouchi whom the men went for, thinking her weak, and not Honda. Honda, even to the women, was second-best, and thus at times he probably felt like he could never match up to Jounouchi. With her finding a new place in Duel Monsters, a game he couldn't understand even after both she and Yugi gave it a crack at teaching him, he fell behind in one, but in that case, Jounouchi was the one challenged second: everyone looked first at Yugi, then to her.

But Honda fell into a trap which Jounouchi had seen her father fall into many times, and after he had tried to tell both Yugi and Jounouchi to butt out, Ryuji pulled out a dice and flicked it at him. Jounouchi reached out and grabbed it, the die hitting the palm of her hand and causing it to sting but she didn't care. This bastard was going to pay.

It turned out the other Yugi was going to take care of him.

She watched as the other Yugi played the 'Four Aces', but added a Joker to the cards. She had to smirk at that, and noticed that Kaiba had even put his book down to watch as Yugi succeeded in handing Ryuji's ass back to him, winning both times. Ryuji looked distraught from having lost, then said, "Yugi! Is this some type of bar bet?"

"maybe…"

Kaiba smirked as well, and both of them watched as Ryuji seemed to calculate the whole thing then blinked, realizing that no, it wasn't a bar bet. Yugi had played a fair game, and won by chance.

He had beaten him by complete chance.

Honda was freed from being Ryuji's slave for two weeks, and Jounouchi, noticing the teacher coming in, moved to take her seat, which was past Ryuji's. As she did, she tossed the dice up for him to catch. "Better luck next time."

He gave her a strange smirk and she decided not to reflect on it as school continued.

* * *

"Fuck, I'm late!"

Of course, there was a reason for this. It involved a dream with Kaiba as a desert, or at least with part of him as the desert, and seriously, who could blame her for destroying the alarm clock when it woke her up from _that _dream?

Especially since he was covered with whipped cream and cherry-flavored syrup, which she loved, plus there was the fact that he tasted _so good _even without the flavoring.

Jounouchi was hentai and didn't care. Kaiba was hot and a bastard, but somehow worked his way into even the tamest of her fantasies, which didn't help out. The man was her best friend's rival, and a complete idiot! She shouldn't be so taken by him, at least part of her shouldn't. All these confused feelings started in Duelist Kingdom, and the man he had become was someone she could almost easily fall for, strangely enough, and thus defeated the purpose of her having these dreams and destroying her alarm clock.

Especially the really vivid ones…

She got up to where the others were waiting, Mazaki trying to get her to go to the end of the line but Yugi said it was okay. Jounouchi's main plan was to figure out how to play the new game, D.D.M, and maybe sell it on the street later for some extra cash (she saw a nice card at the Game Shop and wanted to buy it, but lacked the funds currently).

Yugi turned to them after looking at the empty game store across the way before telling the trio of Bakura, Mazaki and Jounouchi to keep quiet about them coming over here and him buying a game from the Black Crown, as it was their rivals.

At this point Jounouchi blinked and hoped the spirit would give Yugi some insight as to the person behind him. Jounouchi, Mazaki and Bakura tried to, but ended up being ignored as Yugi went on to say that anything game-like he was liable to buy, and that really, his grandfather's tastes in game were unpopular and slightly out-of-date, so it was no wonder their store wasn't that popular.

Jounouchi smacked herself on the forehead while Mazaki said quietly, "um…yugi?"

"What is it?" he blinked at Mazaki and Bakura pointed while Jounouchi held back in a snicker as he came face-to-face with his rather angry grandfather.

"You're on your own," Jounouchi said as she, Mazaki and Bakura turned away and only heard Yugi's stutter as his grandfather called him a traitor and asked how he could do this to an old man who went through so much already for him--

At least for the last thirty minute wait before the store opened, there was some form of entertainment for the rest of the crowd…

* * *

To some extent, Ryuji understood the reason that his father wanted revenge. Since he had moved in with him, Ryuji had seen him only wear a mask to look normal: the effects of losing a game against Sugoroku had caused him to age rapidly, and now looking at him caused Ryuji pain, not for his father, but for other reasons. He had not known how the game worked, nor how badly his father had lost. He only knew that the Millennium Puzzle had been at stake. Some part of him was sure that fate had something to do with it, and also some odd gamer dogma which seemed to affect how well people drew or rolled. He had never played for anyone, but he had seen the information about both Yugi and the other Yugi. Even though the other Yugi was the one who had beaten Kaiba and such, it had been Yugi himself who helped the others move through Death-T when it came to actual games. He could think on his toes but lacked the confidence.

His father seemed to have forgotten that, or have given up any type of hope for that. He believed, and had tried to raise Ryuji to believe, that advantage, and strength, were keys to victory.

If that had been true, Kaiba and his three Blue Eyes should've won the first game. Pegasus, with his super-rare and one-of-a-kind cards, should've beaten the other Yugi. But they hadn't.

The slap after he had said he had played Yugi and lost was unexpected but not unheard of. Whenever he had questioned his father, or lost a game, or something of that nature, he had been hit and often was made to look at his face as he was reminded that this was what Sugoroku had done to his father. He often had to look away to hold down his disgust and wish that his father had never challenged the old man, but at the same time he couldn't help but be reminded that his birth, everything about him, was geared towards defeating Yugi and thus hurting Sugoroku. He had been born to exact revenge, nothing more, so he would carry that out and hopefully gain some way to have his own life.

* * *

Jounouchi had almost not gotten out of there, and in the rush she realized that she had lost sight of Yugi. Him being a short guy, she could see this, but her problem was when they went back to the shop to see if they could figure out how to play with the dice that he didn't come back. She was more then worried when, a little after the store's closing hour, Bakura disappeared. Now things were getting bad. If Yugi was in trouble she should know about it…


	4. The Past in Perspective

Part 4: The Past in Perspectives

"Are you sure this is such a good idea?" the man asked the Japanese man, his eyes glittering in the dull light and his smirk not changing.

"If she can tell me about the 'Greatest Game', then yes, it is," he told the other, "Besides, Henly, when did you become such a stick-in-the-mud? I mean...you found the Holy Grail! Let me find my own."

"I found it and nearly died," the older man reminded him, rubbing a spot near his heart, "and it wasn't me, it was Junior. Are you so sure, then, that you should do this?"

Mutou Sugoroku nodded. "I want to. I'm choosing to enter this Lion's Den of my own will...but if you want to leave..."

Henry Jones Senior, explorer and archeologist, gave a small grin to his younger friend. He had run into Sugoroku while searching for an ancient puzzle in a ruin in India, and had traveled with the man back to Europe as he continued to search for games. Despite the still-uneasy nature that came from most Japanese, especially those old enough to remember the last War, Henry had found Sugoroku to be a man with a talent for games...and sadly, like Henry's son, for getting into trouble.

But the man's style and attitude towards life slightly helped Henry as well. The water from the Grail would keep him alive for a good while, he was sure, and while it wouldn't keep him from dying, it also would help him at least watch over his son and ensure he didn't get into too much trouble.

Or...at least try to. Junior was once again off on some wild-goose chase searching for an artifact in who-knew-where, and he couldn't be followed by any of Henry's old leads.

This left Henry to feel like a babysitter to Sugoroku instead.

The room was dimmed and they looked around, walking only partly in before a man spoke to them in a language even Henry didn't understand. He wished that one of Junior's friends were here...maybe he could help...

Sugoroku said something in Japanese, and the man suddenly drew a Bowie knife, but before he could say much more, his head was suddenly detached and across the room. The rest of the room looked up, and the only ones seemingly disturbed by this was the ones who's game was ruined, and the two newcomers.

As the body fell, they saw the dark figure of a person standing nearby, the eyes of this person glowing like that of a lion in the semi-darkness. She spoke in Japanese to Sugoroku and he answered hesitantly before the woman nodded and motioned to an empty board.

"Should I ask?" Henry asked, trying to will his heart to a normal speed. How his son could deal with such things was beyond him!

"She said," Sugoroku told him, "that she would tell me what I wanted to know if I won."

"If you don't?"

"Then we can't try again. Oh, and no one's beaten her at this game."

Henry cast him a look. "How can you be so sure that you'll win, then?"

"Because if I ever lose, I'll trade in my tuxedo for overalls and gain years instead of chips. You think I'm ready to do that, Henly?"

* * *

There is a point where legends, myths, everything, comes to a head and you look for the truth. There was perhaps a truth to stories we are told as children, and that truth you cannot learn until you run into your own Big Bad Wolf or Wicked Step Mother. But for the evil, there are also Fairy Godmothers and Princes who always come to your rescue.

Yugi had his own Prince, the one within the Millennium Puzzle, and the two shared a bond which even Ryuji envied when he saw how quickly Yugi stood up for himself. It wasn't that the other Yugi was a good player: both were, and with the right triggers, could pull out that odd magic that allowed them to play and overcome all odds.

But then his father had broken the Puzzle. Ryuji's eyes had not been on the broken Puzzle, but on Yugi. For a moment, his eyes seemed to go blank, and it looked at if someone had torn out a part of him, had reached in and simply taken it away.

That was not how Ryuji wanted to take the title. He was going to take it on his own, without his father's interference. In ways he was fighting his father's lost battle, but this was also his own. He had to beat Mutou Yugi to see how good he really was, not because his father had lost to Sugoroku all those years ago.

And now Yugi, on the ground, was slowly picking up the pieces and cradling them like a dead lover, before he looked up and said, his voice conveying the anger of one who had one important thing taken from him, "How could you break my other self's heart?"

Ryuji felt a new flare of anger towards his father, and with some simplicity took away the Puzzle as well as helped Yugi gather the pieces. Now, the actual bet was on the table, and after he saw Yugi look at it one more time, he knew that Yugi was going to fight with his all. If he won, the boy would dedicate however long, longer even, to rebuilding that Puzzle of his.

If he lost, then his father would get what he wanted. The Mutous would be ruined. Yugi wouldn't be able to go on without the Puzzle, and even if Ryuji finished it all, the moment he wore it, displayed it, anything, Yugi would do nothing more then lose the rest of whatever hope he might have still had.

This was not to say that Ryuji wanted to lose. At the current state, he wanted neither to win nor lose. He simply wanted to play the game and test Yugi's skill, without the Millennium Puzzle.

Now, despite everything, he was getting that wish.


	5. He Needs Me

Part 5: He Needs Me

_--And all at once I knew, I knew at once, I knew he needed me--_

After Honda's assurance that yes, Bakura had the Millennium Ring on again and he hadn't said anything because he hadn't been acting odd since Duelist Kingdom, really--

Dog which disliked her or not, Jounouchi was going to have to hurt him.

"Come on!" the group headed towards the Black Crown and found that the guards who had been rude to them before were now…well, they weren't going to be rude to anyone anytime soon…

There was a yell from upstairs and the group ran up to find normal Bakura and Ryuji pounding on a door, trying to get in and thick black smoke coming from one side.

"Oh shit," Jounouchi said before she pushed the group aside and said, "Honda, give me a hand here!" The two quickly knocked down the door to have the odd clown-guy rush out and fire all around, eating away at the building. Jounouchi raced in while the others stayed behind, stopped by some of the flames, to see Yugi sitting down, trying to fix the broken puzzle. The chain which had shown their closeness was nailed to a table and not budging, even with both of them pulling.

"I have to stay here! I can't let the puzzle be destroyed!" Yugi insisted.

"Yugi, this is insane! We have to get out of here!"

"No! Please! Let me do this! I want to see my other self--one more time…"

Jounouchi paused and then grabbed his shoulder, "Yugi, I'm not going to let you die!"

"I'm not going to let him die! Jounouchi, please! Let me try!"

She and he locked eyes, a contest of wills ensuing. He wanted to see the other Yugi, to put the Puzzle together in a matter of minutes when it took him eight years the first time, and Jounouchi was going to pull him out of there, to stop him from dying.

The contest broke off with a mutual agreement, silently made, and Jounouchi moved out while Yugi quickly began to put the Puzzle back and she told the group outside, "Get out of here!"

"What about Yugi?" Mazaki asked, panicking.

"He'll be fine, go!"

"but--" Ryuji started and she cast him a death-glare, then turned, the glare on them all, not so much a challenge as much as a statement.

She would take care of Yugi. Only one of them was needed here, only one needed to risk their lives for Yugi.

"Get. Out."

The group complied quickly, and she slowly turned back, looking at the flames that were turning into an inferno.

_I will pull you both out of the river Styx. I will let you get that far, but no further._

_Yugi…other Yugi…I will save you both!_

* * *

The pieces clicked into place, each growing hotter, each harder for him to hold onto longer, as he sat, holding the Puzzle near the hot chain as well, feeling a slight burn before his hand went numb and he wasn't sure if it was from the burning or something else.

Piece by piece went in and Yugi remembered his other self, remembered at first his fear over the blackouts, then remembering the turning point, when he wasn't scared anymore, and throughout Duelist Kingdom. He remembered how scared, at one point, he had been of the dangerous game that Kaiba and his other self had played, how he had been willing to lose, and remembering when Mai had reminded his other self to take all of the duelists seriously. He remembered how hard and how loud he had shouted before he got his other side's attention, and their battle against Pegasus.

He remembered the feeling of his heart being torn in half and squeezed and ripped when he insisted on continuing to do the 'mind swap' when the game had turned into a Shadow Game and it took his will to hold up the monster's form. He remembered the pain he felt when Pegasus had attacked and the darkness that had surrounded him until he had felt his friends around him, and then afterwards, hearing the story with his other self and feeling like his other self was unsure and uncertain. He remembered how much he had wanted to comfort him in some way, to ensure him that no matter what, everything would be okay, that he would be there for him.

He remembered the other Bakura's words. He was the one responsible for helping to awaken the King's memories. The other him…he could possibly be a king, and if Yugi didn't finish this Puzzle, didn't ensure that he would be safe, then he would never remember. He would never find out the truth or regain his memories.

Yugi had all of his memories. The spirit had none. If he could switch places, give up all of his memories to get back the spirit's memories, then he would in an instant.

The heat was making his head spin and his vision fuzzy but he still put the pieces in, feeling like this was something almost mechanical, like his body was simply moving on it's own.

Click, click, click.

_I only want--_

Click, click, click.

_--to see--_

Click, click, click.

_--the other me--_

Click, click, flames licked at him, fire all around him, and the smoke was in his lungs, making it harder to breath, harder to think, and he saw that the only thing left was the middle piece again. He reached and placed it in then saw him.

His other self, to the side, watching him, looking over him, then seeming to realize what was going on and reaching for him, his face worried.

_--one last time--_

Yugi fell forward and into darkness.

* * *

Jounouchi raced in and took in the situation. There was Yugi, holding onto the chain, and when she pulled at him he wouldn't move. His hand was either burned onto the chain or wouldn't let go, his last conscious act following through much like his will had continued to try and protect the image of the card from Pegasus.

Of all the stubborn friends she had…

She pulled but the chain wasn't moving, and then she heard the other Yugi's voice, and looked. The board game, the one that was supposed to be dangers, was not burning yet, but…

She moved it to act as a lever and then kicked it, her thought simple.

They were not going to die. She wasn't. Yugi wasn't. The other Yugi wasn't.

They would live, and to hell with the wishes of anyone else. The chain freed, she scooped up Yugi and turned to run. The fire had spread, making it hard to go down the stairs unless you ran and jumped.

Hell…

Jounouchi did so, racing down the rest as the whole behind her collapsed under the weight and from being eaten by the fire, and just as it came down she went out of the door, her head down. Part of her shirt and jeans were scorched, as was her own body, but she didn't care. She looked up to see the group, including Ryuji, gathering around her and she gave them a small smile. "He wouldn't let go of it…" she looked down at him, unconscious, and smiled slightly, "he and that Puzzle are not leaving the other…"

A paramedic quickly moved everyone out of the way and just as quickly made both Jounouchi and Yugi get into an ambulance. The minute she was sitting down and being taken care of, Jounouchi realized how hot it was in there and also how much of a crowd had gathered. She didn't notice that one was the limo belonging to the Kaiba brothers, or that Mokuba had spotted her running out of the burning building with Yugi. Kaiba himself had looked over and now spotted her, trying to convince a medic that she wasn't the one to be taken care of while Yugi's grandfather was checking up on his grandson who had nearly died. Ryuji and the others were giving a report to the police, who had Ryuji's father in custody, and after a moment of failing to convince the medic that she was fine, Jounouchi looked over at where Yugi was. Kaiba blinked and almost mistook the look until he realized he gave Mokuba that same look that Jounouchi was giving Yugi. It was a protective look, one which told him that she wasn't in love with Yugi, but would do what she could to protect him. She had dared a large fire to save her best friend.

Kaiba and Mokuba headed off, Kaiba deciding to anonymously send her flowers later and hoped she would be okay. Jounouchi had worked her way into most of his tame dreams that seemed to involve sex, and he had to admit that his feelings for her were confused. He liked her but didn't. How could you figure that out?


	6. Dirty Little SecretPorcelin

Part 6: Dirty Little Secret

--_let me know that I've done wrong, when I've known this all along--_

The stay in the hospital had been for maybe a grand total of one day, and would've been shorter had she not been worried about Yugi and thus convinced the doctors to let her stay with the poor boy. After he had woken up and she had ensured he was fine and such, even gotten assurance from the doctor that he was fine, she set about to telling him about how silly he had been.

Normally this was by asking him, calmly, to never do something like that again, his feelings for the spirit of the Puzzle aside.

This time…well…the last time anything like this happened, he hadn't nearly died in a fire.

Kaiba had walked in to see Jounouchi, her hands on Yugi's shoulders and with a slightly alarmed and surprised doctor watching, shaking the little boy so that he became a blur while yelling at him, "YOU EVER SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN AND I SWEAR I WILL FIND A WAY TO RESURRECT BOTH OF YOU SO I CAN KILL YOU AGAIN! IF YOU HAD THOUGHT HARD ENOUGH YOU WOULD'VE FIGURED OUT HOW TO GET THE PUZZLE OFF AND FIXED IT OUTSIDE OF THE _FLAMING INFERNO THAT THE BASTARD WHO RYUJI HAD THE MISFORTUNE TO BE RELATED TO STARTED ANYWAY __**AND NO, HIM APPEARING TO TELL ME IT'LL BE OKAY IS NOT GOING TO GET YOU OUT OF THIS!!!**_"

Kaiba wondered briefly what would happen when Jounouchi had children and if they would ever make her this mad. He also briefly wondered along the same like if the other Yugi could get out of this either.

He was sure that wasn't going to happen.

"Jounouchi-san, please, he's still--," the doctor was making a rather feeble attempt at stopping her from shaking the boy and he saw a man with brown hair that stuck out in various angles and with biker's goggles and an outfit much like that. "Hey," he asked Kaiba, "Katsuya around?"

Kaiba blinked, then saw the man walk up with a good bouquet of flowers. He smiled at the taller man, then held out his hand, "You her friend? I'm Varon, by the way."

Kaiba turned away and walked out, disposing of the flowers on his way out. He should've realized it...and he never should've gotten his hopes up.

* * *

Part 7: Porcelain

--_In my dreams I'm jealous all the time--_

While he had not spoken to aibou about the events following their sudden separation, the spirit felt that it wasn't as important as ensuring that aibou himself was okay and well taken care of. Aibou had assured him that hospitals would take care of him, and even after Jounouchi had rattled him and, in some ways, the spirit with her overly-enthusiastic shaking of aibou to get a point across, he had stayed in his own Soul Room to give aibou some time to recover and to think things over.

Sadly, the doors and the corridors that he traveled along to try and find his memories and true 'Soul Room' seemed more crowded then usual, and often the rooms he opened held either nothing, traps, or something that was between memories and fantasies. He disliked walking into them, mainly because he was quite sure that if he did, he might not come out or, perhaps, say something to aibou which would get his attention, and that was no on his agenda.

So he walked through and opened a door which, strangely enough, lead to one of aibou's own memories. He blinked as he saw Jounouchi and aibou sitting down, talking about the Duel Monster cards before them, and then he began to speak about Anzu and how it was odd that she found a new guy so quickly, despite the fact that aibou had, for a few years, gone after her. Jounouchi, strangely enough, was pointing out the fact that aibou had never made a move, or at least one Mazaki (for that was how she addressed Anzu) liked enough. Whatever it was about Bakura, who was just as shy as aibou, she obviously liked him and not aibou. Aibou seemed down about this, and Jounouchi smiled at him. "Hey, there'll be someone for you."

Aibou then ventured a question. "Are you?"

"Am I what? The one?" Jounouchi had tilted her head at him and then leaned forward, causing aibou to move back slightly but he couldn't go too far, as he was still against the bed and this hampered his movement. She smiled at him lightly and then tilted her head so that her lips meant aibou's, and a light flush crept across his cheeks before his eyes slowly closed--.

The spirit slammed that door shut, not caring if he disrupted the two behind the door, and then leaned against it, breathing hard. Aibou needed someone to hold, and he was just a spirit without his memories, without a name! The name given to him by the others had simply made him an extension of aibou, when both he and aibou were sure that he was separate, only sharing a body with the young boy…

And the dangers that came with being whoever he was. Shadii had proven that. The spirit of the Millennium Ring had gone a little further in proving that.

The battle against Pegasus had only cemented that fact. And now, something was bugging aibou--

The spirit moved to the next door, and found another memory, this one his own. He saw aibou looking at him and looking relived before collapsing on a table, fire burning around him. Despite being trapped in the Puzzle now, he could feel the fire and the heat which was slowly eating away the building and heading for aibou. An eternity passed then he saw Jounouchi rush in and try to pull aibou away from the Puzzle, but his hand didn't release, and then try to pull the chain but recoiling at the heat before he noticed it. He only had to say her name, and the urgency seemed to cause her to see what he noticed before she was out and he was rushing beside her, seeing the building collapsing around them and their wish the same.

_Save Yugi_.

He closed that door simply and now began to move before stopping and sighing. Jounouchi was his friend, and one who had done what she could for both of them. However, on days like that, at times…he was jealous of her. She could touch aibou, could speak to him outside, had a form and could comfort him, she could scold him as she had earlier.

She could kiss him, and hold him, and give him pleasure--

"Curse it," he muttered, more to himself then anything in general. This frame of mind was not the one to travel a maze such as this like; one could easily get lost in their anger and frustration, and the power of the Puzzle itself made it all the easier to lose yourself in it, especially with such feelings. He made his way back to the main room and simply sat down, leaning against the door which separated himself from aibou before wishing he could do _something _for aibou besides punish those that hurt him, and besides bring danger upon him. He wanted to be there for his aibou, like everyone else was.

A few moments or an eternity passed, and he finally left the Puzzle to watch over his sleeping aibou. The boy was lying on his back, his face having a few bandages to cover the deeper burns, and his hair was sprayed across the pillow gently. With an invisible hand, the spirit ran a few fingers through what must certainly be soft and lovely hair, and he stopped quickly when he saw the young boy stir, his eyes shifting under their lids before becoming still again. The spirit waited and then removed his hand before he leaned in, as Jounouchi had, and brushed his lips against that of his aibou's. He felt the warmth from aibou, but was sure he didn't feel anything until he saw a slight blush come up onto aibou's cheeks and he saw his lips part and seem to move up slightly, as if reaching for his when none were there.

The spirit recoiled, moving back quickly and swore he heard aibou almost…whimper…in loss of contact. Curious, the spirit moved forward again and now placed a hand against his aibou's cheek before putting another kiss on the boy's lips. Once again, the same reaction, a slight parting of the lips, inviting him in but he couldn't--

There was no way for him to give his aibou the touches he was obviously wishing for.

He saw his aibou stir and the spirit finally moved away. There was once more that whimper but the spirit retreated instead to the Puzzle, not hearing the name which came from his aibou's lips.

"mou hitori no boku"

Inside of the Puzzle, away from the spirit and body of his aibou, the spirit himself sank down and a slight pressure on his jeans told him that he had taken that touch quickly to heart…or heat. Cursing his feelings and his body's reaction, he started to try and forget about it by going through a 'mock battle' with Jounouchi and coming up with a quick strategy to crush her deck (he wasn't in the mood to be nice to Jounouchi), but the magic of the Puzzle wasn't going to let him go that easily, it seemed.

Instead, he felt a pressure on his chest and he stiffened, realizing it was hands. Soft, small, and the hands which he longed for. He touched one and then saw an image of his aibou, it had to be, walk around and blink at him, his amethyst eyes wide and kind, as well as confused. He said nothing, but moved closer and, with a hand on the spirit's shoulders, moved up to kiss him.

The spirit was almost not in the mood for such games, especially when concerning his heart and his mind, but the false-aibou stopped when he pulled away slightly and then blinked at him, still confused, before standing flat-footed again, pressed against the spirit and then looked down.

_Oh shit._

The spirit was going to pull away but suddenly he felt the hand that had been on his shoulder move down quickly and he blinked when he saw his aibou reach down and unbutton the spirit's jeans.

_OH SHIT._

"ai--bou--" the boy had not allowed him to completely get himself together for such a situation, and with a quick zip and pull, his jeans were down and, for some reason or another, he found his lower region exposed, his member proud and partly-erect after the brief contact and thoughts about his aibou earlier.

And to continue to throw him off-balance, his aibou, or the image of him, now knelt and, after wrapping a hand around it and pumping slightly to bring it to full attention, lowered his head and the spirit felt it engulfed in warmth, meaning he was getting a blow job.

From the image of his aibou.

He was rather grateful for the wall or whatever was holding him up, because he would've fallen over had it not been for that. Both hands gripped it, the only reality besides the light and shy sucking, occasional nip and the pressure coming from the image of his aibou who was succeeding in making him go insane.

He felt his hips began to jerk and his mind also begin to quickly go under as he got closer to orgasm. His breathing became heavier and slightly labored while somehow, the image of his aibou seemed to know what to do, putting more pressure, adding more suction. He heard himself muttering incoherently, and was fairly sure most of it was his aibou's name.

The spirit gasped as he felt himself come, and there was a strange sensation he had to guess was the image of his aibou's swallowing…

By the gods…

He continued to try and catch his breath as the suction disappeared and he finally looked down to see his aibou, or the image, look up at him, his eyes and face so serene, so happy for some reason--he was happy? To be with him, to have done such a thing?

The spirit blinked, and in that moment, the image of his aibou disappeared.

* * *

Varon looked over at the resting and naked Jounouchi before saying, "So, he doesn't mean anything?"

Jounouchi cast him a glare and turned over on her side. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"You said his name twice."

She blinked and then turned slightly. "Twice?"

"Once against the wall, again over here," Varon said, propping himself up. "Remind me again why we did this?"

"Because in terms of former boyfriends, you were the only one who could make me come so often and so quickly."

Varon snorted then pointed out, "If that was true, why'd you break up with me?"

"_You _left. I just moved on."

He laid back down and then said, "It wasn't his full name, though. Just the first one. You always call him by his last name, I noticed."

"There's a point to this?"

"Well," he said, "as much as I like the compliment you gave me earlier, I also dislike the fact that you had someone else in mind while we were having some pretty mind-blowing sex."

"The fact that I had anything in my mind during that sex should be a compliment to you, name being said or not."

Varon sighed and then said, "So you like him?"

"No."

"Liar."

"Keep this up while I'm trying to rest up and I'll give you no leftovers."

Varon was quiet, and finally said, "So…are we through, then?"

"I guess," she told him, "Do you want to be?"

Varon sighed again and then touched Jounouchi on her shoulder. "Listen, I guess it doesn't really matter, but I'll tell you this much. You'll always be a good friend."

"I'm glad to know that," she told him, her voice not spiteful. Most of the former girlfriends he had disliked the sentence 'we'll be good friends' as much as the disliked him telling them why he was leaving, so he tried hard to avoid it. With Jounouchi, she had been able to get over it, and if what that woman Layla said was right, she had gotten over a lot of things, and for all of that, he had to thank Honda and the boy named Mutou Yugi.

Varon finally smiled and laid back down. "Now, what was that about leftovers?"


End file.
